Tire casing



Sept. 30', 1941. R. c. PIERCE TIRE CASING Filed Nov. 9, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l I INVENTOR. I

A TTORNEYS.

Sept. 30, 1941 R. c. PIYERCE TIRE CASING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 9; 1939 Patented Sept. a -194 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ,azs'mu TIRE CASING Robert 0. Pierce, Niles, Mich, assignmto National Standard Company, Niles, Mich a corporation of Michigan Application November 9', 1939, s m No. 303,600

3 Claims. (01. l52--358) of non-metallic material carrying a bonding material.v In this way a strong uniform bond between the tapes and the rubber or other material of the tire casing is insured.

Other objects and advantages of the invention including desirable constructions and arrangements of the metallic tapes and of the non-metallie strands'will be apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

' Figure 1 is a section through a tire-casing embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged partialsection through 1 the casing side wall;

Figure 3 is a-plan view of the tire casing with the several layers successively broken away; and

Figures 4 to 9. are enlarged plan views of several alternative reinforcing elements which may be employed in the tire casing.

The illustrated tire comprises atread II, side walls I 2 and beads ll reinforced by bead rings Ii. The bead rings It may be of any desired construction such as braided metal wires or metal wires laid up in the form of a tape or rope.

The tread and side walls are reinforced by several layers of tension elements II, four being shown, which are turned up at their ends around the bead rings l8 and are imbedded in the rubber of the tire casing. If desired narrow layers of similar elements 20 may be laid under the tread to form breaker strips reinforcing the tread.

According to the present invention the fabric cords usually employed for the tension elements II are replaced by flat tapes formed at leastin part of metal wires. Since the metal wires have much greater tensile strength for the same volume than iabric cords a tire of the same load carrying capacity may be formed with fewer layersiof reinforcing elements and much thinner walls. This tends to produce greater flexibility, reduce weight, and to facilitate vulcanizing since the heat must travel through ashorter distance.

However, in order to provide tires which will operate successfully it is-essential that the reinforcing elements be bonded securely to the rubsilk, wool, jute or sisal. In the braid as her of the tire casing. and this is one of-thei principal aims of the present invention.

As shown in Figure 4 the reinforcing elements are formed of a flat braid with pairs of strands passing. alternately over and under other pairs of strands diagonally back-and forth across the braid. As shown one strand 2! of each pair is a metal wire, and the other strand 24 is of nonmetallic yielding material. .The metal-wires 22 are preferablyof high strength'steel of the order of .006" in diameter and coated with bonding material such as zinc and copper-plate or bonding lacquer. The strands may be of'rubber, synthetic rubber or other plastic or of any desired flber such as cotton, linen, hemp, rayon, I shown each pair of strands passes alternately over and under two other pairs, but it will be understood that any other desired weave could be used.

The yielding strands 24 are preferably impregnated or coated with a bonding material such as latex or rubber cement to facilitate bonding of the tension elements to the rubber of the tire body. This bonding material not only covers the yielding strands, but will alsocoat, at least partially, the wires 22 to assist in bonding the wires to the tire body. I

The braids may be incorporated into the rubber of the tire body by calendaring in the same manner as with the usual fibrous cords. In the tire body the braids lie flat side by side, as seen in Figures 2 and 3, to provide a very thin, flexible wall ofvery high strength. The rubber of the tire casing will bond to the strands 22 and 24 and will also bond to itselfthrough the interstices of the braid around and between the strands to fasten the tension elements securely- The braids are in the rubber of the tire casing. highly flexible and are resilient in both tension and compression sothat the tire may flex without damage to the braids and without danger of pulling the braids loose from the rubber.

Figure 5 illustrates another braid construction similar to that of Figure 4 in which pairs of strands 26 are of yielding material while other pairs 28 are both metalwires. In this braid the strands 28 are impregnated or coated with bonding material and the braid acts similarly to that of Figure 4. v

Figure 5 illustrates another feature which may 1 be applied to any of the braids shown in that the braid in this figure is expanded. This is generally accomplished by compressing the braid lengthwise to spread it across its width until the wires have been bent beyond their elastic limit the at the point where-they bend back a the some" ed es of the can. This provides a more structure for both tension and compression and opens up the intersticesvof the braid, so that the rubber may bond upon itself more readily rethrough. FigureJ shows still another braid construction in which'all of the strands a are metal and a plurality of strands I! are woven back and forth from top to bottom longitudinally of the braidthrough the interstices thereof. The

, strands SI-may be metaiwires or non-metallic yielding material. coated or bonding material. I

Figure 7 illustrates an alternative construction impremted with N of tension element in the form of a flat tape formed by aseries of metal wires It laid side by side in parallel. If desired yielding strands I! [may be placedbetween the wires 34 although such yielding strands need not be used. The

only and are, is to be taken 'as a definitionlof the scope of the invention, reference being bad for. this purpose to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A tire casing comprising a tread bedded therein a plurality of layers of flat tapes relatively narrow with respect totheir length'and wires and strands are held in place by a strand ll woven back and forth diagonally across thetalie and passing alternately over and under the wires 34 and the-strands it. The strand 38' may be either metal or fiber as desired.

The yielding strands 30, when used, are :im-

extending diagonally around the casingfrom one bead to the other, said tapes being arranged closely adjacent side by side in the layers to form substantially uniform layers, eachtape being made up ofstrands of substantially uniform diameter braided together with each strand crowing over and under other strands diagonal back T and forth across thetape and formed with reverse bends 'at the edges of the tape so that the tape is longitudinally resilient in both tension and compression, some of said strands being nonmetallic yielding material fl-nd the-others being metalwires.

2. A tire casing comprising a treadand side '7 walls and reinforced side beads, and having impregnated or coated with bonding material to' insure uniform bonding of .the tape to the rub'- ber of the tire casing. With this material,.as

with the braid, the rubber of the tire casing bonds to the wires and strands and to itself around and between the wires and strands. The construction -of Figure a a similar. tojhat of Figure 7 and includes a flat tape formedof.

metal wires 40 lying side by side in parallel and held together in the form of a flat tape by being imbedded'in rubber shown at M, the wires being beddedtherein .a plurality of layers of flat-tam relatively narrow with respect to their length and extending diagonally around the casing from one bead to the other. sald tapes being arranged closely adjacent side by sidein the layers to form substantially. uniform layers, each tape being made up of strands of substantially uniform diameter braided together with each strand croaing over' and under other strands diagonally back and forth across the.tape d formed with reverse bengs at the edges the tapeso that the, tapels longitudinally resilient in both tension and compression, and is formed'with interstices of awidth substantially equalto the diameter of the suitably coated so as to adhere to the rubber."

- If desired, yielding'cords or strands maybe placed between the'wires -l0,/the-co rds or strands preferably beingcoated or impregnated withv bonding material. These tapes may be used in the same manner as the other tapes described above.

The tapes of Figures 7 and 8,' although not resilient in tension and compressionto the same degree as the braids of Flgures 4, 5 and 6 are highly flexible and due to their strength permit ithe making of tires with walls so thin as to be.

flexible without'creating large'stresses in the reinforcing elements. I

Figures illustrates a construction identical with that of'Figure 8 except that the wires ll are replaced "by a plurality ofwir'es twisted together inthe form-of metal strands 48. Yielding cords or strands 48 lie between the strands l6. and all of the strands are bound together in the form of a flat tapeby rubber it. While wires have been referred to and illustrated in Figures 4 to 8 it is to be understood that metal strands such as 46 could be substituted therefor thrmighout if desired.

' Although severalembodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described in detail,

' it will be understood that these are illustrative through-said interstices.

strands, some of said strands being metal wires and others being non-metallic yielding material carrying bonding material, the material of the casing being bonded to the strandsand to itself 3. A tire casing comprising a tread and side walls and reinforced side beads, and having an- I bedded therein a plurality of layers of flat tapes relatively narrow with respect to their length and extending diagonally aroundthe casing from one head to the other, said tapes being arranged closely adjacent side by side in the layers to form substantially uniform layers, each tape being made up of strands of substantially uniform diameter braided together with each strand cross- .ing over and under other strands diagonally back a ndiside walls and reinforced side beads, and having im- 

